 And welcome to TV30, a production of the Government Information Service. I am Jolene Beset, Joseph. Now World Maritime Day will be observed this year on Thursday, the 29th of September. New technologies for greener shipping is this year's theme, which the International Maritime Organization describes as reflecting the need to support a green transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future while leaving no one behind. On their website, the organization goes on to state that the theme provides an opportunity to focus on the importance of a sustainable maritime sector and the need to build back better and greener in a post-pandemic world. Now here to talk to us a little bit about the observation of the day and the theme, and so much more, by the way, is Christopher Alexander, who is actually the Director of Maritime Affairs at Staspa. So first of all, thank you for joining us today. And thank you for inviting Maritime Division on behalf of Staspa to come and share some information with the general public, and especially our seafarers and our maritime community. Okay, brilliant. All right. Now we're going to start from the real basics. It's been a while. I've talked to you before at MCN. But we're going to start with the real basics, whereas tell us a little bit about World Maritime Day. Why is there World Maritime Day? Why was this day even, why are we even observing this day? Well, World Maritime Day is celebrated on an annual basis. And the general public, we often hear about airlines because we can see it, we travel more often. But then imagine 80 percent of shipping goods is via the sea. So you can see the importance of shipping in terms of the high cost of we experienced recently on our shelves, again, it goes down to shipping in terms of the backlog that we had on shipping. So when you look at our daily lives, it's always impacted by shipping. And when you see shipping, the International Maritime Organization, the IMO, it's almost a sister organization of the United Nations, and they do all maritime related issues. And to show the importance of it, they normally visit different topics that impacts the maritime sector, the seafarers, economies as well. And we're now moving into the blue economy. That's the birthright now, the blue economy. So the IMO for this opportune, and Senusha being part of that wider body, the IMO, to go into greener technologies within the maritime sector. Hence the theme for this year would be how we can introduce new technologies or greener technologies within the maritime sector to benefit the ordinary person's economies, to enhance efficiency, and likewise create additional employment. Okay. Now you mentioned a couple of things that you told us, you said like to enhance efficiency. How do you see the implementation of these new ways of doing things and these new technologies actually having that effect on the sector that we have in Senusha? Right. So in terms of efficiency, I can give you in the local context, most of the boaters, they were using a two stroke engine, which was, they utilized more fuel, there was greater emissions using that type of engine. They're now moving on to the four stroke engine. And it means that they would spend less on fuel, less on breakdowns in engine. And whenever an activity, the cost has been reduced. The expectation is that the benefits will go towards the consumer. So the less you can spend for an activity on operation, the better it is for the consumer, hopefully we will pay less for that activity. And likewise, the boating sector, for example, we can create a greater efficiency within the boating sector if right now we can utilize technologies for us to reduce the cost of fuel on those ships there. The shelves, our item on the shelves, the prices will go down because the cost of shipping always affects the rate at which the consumer pays on the, in stores. That is the whole effect of efficiency. For example, one area we can look at is in terms of the fuel content that ships utilize. For example, within the maritime sector, ships normally utilize what we call heavy crude or heavy fuel. Heavy fuel, it emits greater pollutants into the atmosphere. So what the IMO have done right now, the IMO is saying we want to reduce the amount of fuel, the amount of sulfur that's within the fuel, okay? That in itself will have an impact on climate change. Because the more pollutants that goes into the atmosphere, the more likely that will create climate change. And there's also a health relation as far as utilizing heavy fuels. For example, when the ship comes into our port, you can see the emissions coming out of the ship and it's alongside. And then we have close population centers within a port, for example castries. So if right now we can tell those ships to utilize a lower fuel sulfur content when you are in port, it means that the emissions will not affect us health-wise. So you can see the connectivity there between efficiency and the health of the nation and likewise the reduction in climate change. So greater efficiency, greater savings for the persons operating the ships, and then greater savings for us when we go to the stores to purchase our item, which is, it was said, I said, it's shipped. Yeah, yeah. So I mean, what you've described there is the real positive effects or very impacts that could be bestowed on to everyone. But how possible do you see the seafarers and people adapting to the changes that need to be made in regards to making sure that we go forfeit and get what we want out of this? I think the important factor is I think persons realize how beneficial it is to them as individuals. I mean, that's human nature. We want to know what's in it for us. The country going down that road, is it cost prohibitive for Senbusha to go down that road? Is it cost effective for a seafarer or a boat captain to utilize the boat or adopt those type of technologies? So that is the mindset behind having those discussions there, is to educate our seafarers, educate our policy makers. For example, there are certain IMO conventions that is applicable for us to enjoy the benefits of a greener economy or shipping technology. For example, we have what's called a pollution convention. And what it seeks to do, it seeks to level the playing field. Okay. So all ships operating on the seas, you have to use a certain type of fuel. Okay. So for example, you may have boats, when they are out at sea, they may use a high server content. When they come closer to shore, they change that. So we say, no, let's have a level playing field. So everybody can benefit equally from the shipping sector. So again, the important thing now is to show our seafarers, policy makers, our purses, how is it beneficial to you as an individual and to the state and the health impacts that can occur if and when we embrace those type of technologies. And the modern areas is in terms of what we call right now LNG, that's liquid-fired natural gas. And basically, it's odorless. There are less emissions right now. So the shipping industry right now are moving into the LNG type of fuel and board. Okay. And without having crude, which can maybe cause it to the sea, then you have further pollution. So we're saying that you can use a product, but there are always challenges in terms of using a fuel. If a ship spills oil right now, it takes a fortune to clean the oil right now. So even moving to the LNG, the liquid-fired natural gas right now, it will be much easier to actually do any cleanup. So we want to facilitate, again, we're hoping to leverage government to give for the incentives to the industry, wherein they can move into that area of efficiency. I spoke about the four-stroke engine. If we know it's a more efficient method of transportation, government can see the benefits in terms of giving concessions or incentives for persons to move into that area. What it will do, it will reduce our footprint as far as decarbonization and as far as marine pollution is concerned. So my task at Stars for Maritime Division is to sensitize our policymakers as to various international conventions or standards that will positively impact the state. And it's always important to me to show the benefit of those type of relationships. To the country, want to ensure the country can reap the benefits of going into that particular area. Okay, all right. I think it's very important that you said that, because one of the things that I was reading on the IMO website was the fact that small island developing states like St. Lucia and these developed countries are the ones that really need to implement this more than anybody in anywhere else. Can you speak to that a bit for us? For example, a good example would be marine litter. I'm just imagine, again, it rains sometimes in our local context and you can see the amount of plastics that's coming down from our rivers into our seas. And the persons in the land, maybe they're not aware of the impact that can create on shipping. Okay, even in terms of the ship coming in, even us as nationals, nobody wants to see the harbour with all these plastics. But those plastics, they can also impact the ships. They can get stuck in the propellers of those vessels there. Because of that, the ship can hampoint them over the way they operate as well. So apart from that component, the other component would be that ships are out at sea. They're trying to see how they can utilize the reduction of plastics on board. And there is an industry, because shipping will always take place and it's a growing sector. So if St. Lucia right now can leverage in terms of recycling, for example, a ship comes in, it has tons of plastic on board and we have a recycling plant in St. Lucia and it's not common in the Caribbean countries. So right away, you can create employment. You can create, in terms of you can, by taking those measures, you can also reduce the dumping of plastics at sea. Because if a ship knows I can come to St. Lucia and I can probably sell my plastics to you at a very, very minimal cost. And then in St. Lucia, we can recycle it. Okay. Then both the ship will see the benefits of it in terms of making a small revenue component. And the country right now can recycle those plastics as well as keep the oceans clear. We don't want to pollute our sea area. We are a tourist, a touristic island. So the less in terms of effect we can reduce on marine litter, the better it is for us. And it's an important time to mention that St. Lucia right now is undergoing a marine litter consultation. Okay. Yes. So we're basically seeing how can we reduce the impact of marine litter on an island like St. Lucia. And you can sit for us and we all are aware of it. But the idea is how can we legislate it? How can we make the ordinary person realize the impact it has when you release litter into the marine environment? So it has to be a work in progress. And I'm not, I think it's, I cannot be discouraged because education is always an ongoing process. You have to educate the masses and you have to keep on going through it again. So that's an important area that we want to do. The other area is in terms of preserving what we call biodiversity. Okay. How do we leverage biodiversity? How do we let persons embrace the idea of biodiversity? And we're seeing right now, maybe we need to go to the schools. Because you know, if right now you can, you can have a child to tell your parents, you know, don't do dumping or utilize that technology instead. So if we can go to the schools, so we're hoping that before the end of this year, for us to now go into the schools right now, I think we've done all the boaters, we've done all our, our grownups right now. I think now it's to take the dive into the schools and get some advocates from the school levels. And hopefully they can speak with their parents and they can change the mindset of the grownups. Okay, brilliant. Anyway, we're just going to have a little break and then we're going to come back and carry on talking about the special day, the observance and greener new technologies, right? For greener maritime activities to be right back. What is biodiversity? When you look at biodiversity, it's all wrong. I think of biological and I think of diversity. What is biosafety? In safety measures for our foods, our products, a section. Biodiversity is the variety of life. Biosafety on the other hand involves the management of products of biotechnology, such as GMOs and LMOs. Biosafety seeks to protect St. Lucia's biodiversity. The terms biodiversity and biosafety are not interchangeable. Get familiar with these terms, observe the biodiversity around you, the change in environment of food production and sustainable growth. To your part, visit our websites and stay tuned to this station for more information on the national biosafety framework. Welcome back. Now, when I first started the program, I think I might have made a little full part where I said that World Maritime Day is actually going to be observed on the 29th. I have been corrected. It's actually the 28th, right? Okay, so it's actually the 28th. So make sure you do your part and observe the day as well. But carry on with our conversation, Mr. Alexander. Now, the theme is linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Yeah? Can you tell me a little bit about that and how it all links together? So the UN, there are 17 goals within that, that the UNDG. And with it, we have one of the most important ones would be SDG fruiting, which relates to climate change. And the greener technology, it will have a positive impact in terms of reducing our footprint as far as climate change is concerned. And we maybe is a small island developing state. However, if a small footprint, but when you add all those small ideas and small island developing states together, you can see that the footprint in terms of the impact as far as pollution in missions are concerned, it can start to increase. And you can see the enlarging footprint. So we're saying that that SDG6 to reduce the climate change or the impact we have on climate change. And I spoke to you earlier in terms of the fuel that the ships carry about and send us have done it, but by exceeding to annex six of the Marple Convention. So I refer to the Marine Pollution Convention. So there is that convention that send us have sent on to all the six annexes. It includes plastic. It includes shipwaste. It includes sewage. It includes a pollution, which is an with climate change. So that's an area that send us has moved on to. There's also another area in terms of annex 14, which speaks to sustainable oceans. And when you speak about sustainable oceans, we want to relate in terms of the impact of shipping on the sustainable use of the oceans. For example, we have now what's called the anti-fouling convention. And what it does is basically when a ship travels, when they normally paint the on the, call it the bottom part for persons to get a better idea of the ship with a special type of paint. And what it does right now, it reduces the effect of organisms attaching themselves to the bottom of that ship. Okay. That's a paint. But you see, but what is the connection between that? But what it does is that the organisms that maybe you can call it barnacles that most persons will know, what it does, it creates drag on the ship. So instead of the ship having to move bottom to travel on the oceans there, all those things attach itself on the ship. What it does, it creates a, it weighs down the ship. Okay. Any additional weight on the ship, it increases the cost of fuel. Right. So if you have a vehicle, for example, your vehicle is laden with items and traveling, the more items the heavier the weight on your vehicle is. Yeah. And you're going up a hill. Yeah. You use more fuel. Yes. Yeah. So you can use that same analogy to relate it to a ship as well. Okay. So if you can keep the bottom of that ship cleaner, okay, it means the boat will travel faster. Okay. Okay. You have greater fuel efficiency. Okay. And the engine on that vessel will work better. So the faster ship can go, can go to one point A to point B, the less fuel it will consume, the better it is for consumers as well. I understand. So that's the effect as far as we call it antifouling. So we want to ensure those ships use the right product. However, there's also a disadvantage in terms of the antifouling paints. Because right now, some of those paints right now, they can actually affect the marine life. Ah. Okay. Okay. Because you have those paints and the paint can have chemicals in them. Yeah. So the iron wound right now, we say how they can phase out that type of paint and use a more, I can say, friendly paint that will not affect in terms of the marine life. Again, that goes back to having the shipping, the shipping sector, but using it in a sustainable manner as well. Sustainability also refers to, in many terms of the speed of ships, sometimes, you know, you have a vehicle, the faster you drive a vehicle, the more fuel you consume. If you go to cruising speed, you get to the point you are, to point A and to point B, but you have consumed less fuel. Right. The less fuel you expand is the less fuel you put into the atmosphere as well. So there's always a connection that the iron wound is seeking to bring about. The other one would be SDG-9, and it speaks in terms of innovation, partnership, sharing technologies with countries. So we have the iron wound, we have all those technocrats, the scientists at the iron wound. And what they would do, they would speak to industry partners out there and say, okay, how can we improve the shipping sector? How can we enhance productivity? How can we enhance fuel, the fuel economy? And basically, when that is, is glean right now, there are various committees, and those committees meet and they share the information across the board. Because all the 174 member states, because there are 174 member states in the countries that are represented at the IMO. So when all of them meet right now, we say, okay, here's a new technology right now, which will enhance fuel, the fuel utilization, we will adopt that type of technology. So what they do, they would vote and say, okay, are we adopting that standard? And once it's adopted right now, it becomes basically, it becomes the IMO, an IMO convention. Okay, so Mr. Alexander, time is upon us, we're going to come to that in the program soon. But before we go, I would like to know, like, as the director of maritime affairs in St. Lucia, what would you like to see happening in the instant future occurring in St. Lucia in regards to greener shipping? What would you like to see? In terms of the way forward, one of the issues we've had was in terms of legislation to ensure that we have the requisite enforcement oversight as to those areas as it relates to climate change, to marine litter in terms of plastics from ships at sea. And we are working on having all the boats that are going out to sea, especially the larger boats doing the boat rides, that they have a plastic litter planned. So I want to know, okay, when you're out at the city, how do you handle the plastic waste on board? That is something that's very, very, very important to us. Also, I want to leverage or encourage our policy makers to give concessions to persons that are utilizing efficient engines. For example, moving away from the two-stroke and going into the four-stroke, it will enhance efficiency. It will reduce the cost of fuel to our seafarers. And likewise, the customers, they will benefit from a reduction in the cost of transportation from those operators. The other one I'm hoping to see is also the awareness of persons that have in terms of the workings of the international maritime organization. And I'm hoping to have a greater interaction with the public at large. Again, shipping is 80% of goods are shipped on the sea. And the ordinary folk are not even aware of that or the significance. And I want the seafarers to know likewise the contribution to the maritime sector. The seafarers are very, very important to Saint Lucia. In those persons who carry our tourists, our nationals, those persons who do cargo shipment as well, they are critical to the economic lifeblood of Saint Lucia. When a cruise ship comes in, there's an access between the cruise ships and the local boating sector. They're the ones who carry the passengers down the coast. We want to ensure that those persons that do it in a safe method. And likewise, every sustainability, it means that the livelihood would be guaranteed. So we want to continue sustainability in terms of the use of the maritime sector, educate persons in terms of the impact that the behavior of passengers can have on the environment, and let them know that they are contributing towards the reduction in climate change when they adopt safe boating practices as well. So that's what in terms of educating the public, let them know that they are needed, that we value their contribution towards the economic lifeblood of Saint Lucia, likewise, great employment as well. There are employment benefits to begin if we can embrace or when we further embrace those type of policies and technologies. Okay, brilliant. Well, as always, it's always a pleasure having you here and speaking with you, Mr. Alexander. So thank you. Thank you so much for joining us today. All right. And thank you for joining us here for TV30 at MTN. However, it's time for me to go. However, I do hope to see you again soon. Bye-bye for now.